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About the Ohio General Assembly

The two chambers of Ohio’s State Legislature are the Senate and the House of Representatives. Together they are The Ohio General Assembly. A new General Assembly convenes every two years on the first Monday in January of the odd-numbered years. The 2000-2001 legislative term is Ohio’s 124th General Assembly.

Speaker
Riffe State Senators can serve up to 2 consecutive four-year terms and State Representatives can serve up to 4 consecutive two-year terms. These positions are considered "part-time" in the state of Ohio.

The state of Ohio is divided into 33 Senate and 99 House Districts. Each House District

represents approximately 110,000 residents and each Senate District approximately 330,000 residents. You are represented by both a State Representative and a State Senator in The Ohio General Assembly.

When the entire membership of the House or Senate meet within their chamber to vote on legislation, it is referred to as "Voting Session" or "Floor Session". Both the House and Senate normally meet Tuesday through Thursday for voting session. Committee meetings may take place before or after floor sessions. Both are open to the public.
Sweeney

In order to study each bill in detail, legislative committees are created. The House and Senate each have their own standing committees. The number and titles of standing committees vary in each General Assembly, but are usually divided towards the areas of education, finance, judiciary, taxation, public utilities and agriculture.

There are two highly influential figures within The Ohio General Assembly – the Senate President and the Speaker of the House. These positions are held by a member of their chamber’s majority party and are voted on by their respective chambers. Both leaders appoint the chairpersons and members of all committees, direct the legislative procedures, oversee administration of the body and preside over daily sessions in their respective chambers.